In a candid admission, the UK's Minister for Police and Crime, Sarah Jones, has revealed that her own children have been victims of phone theft, with their stolen devices never recovered. Speaking on Sky News, the MP for Croydon discussed the pervasive issue of mobile phone snatching in London, where a phone is stolen approximately every seven minutes, describing it as an 'epidemic of everyday crime'.
Personal Trauma and Police Response
Ms Jones recounted the distressing experience, stating, 'I've suffered from that with my kids when they had their phones stolen. These things are enormously traumatic and very real.' She praised the initial police response as 'great' but expressed significant frustration over the lack of follow-up communication. 'I don't know what the outcome was, they didn't get the phones back. I don't know if anybody ended up being convicted, and it's that communication process that I think we need to work on in the police,' she emphasised.
London's Phone Theft Statistics
Recent data underscores the scale of the problem. In London, there were 71,391 phones stolen last year, a decrease from 81,365 in 2024. Detailed figures from the Metropolitan Police's crime data website show a fluctuating trend: in 2023, there were 52,820 thefts from the person involving phones and 14,326 robberies; in 2024, these numbers rose to 70,249 thefts and 11,125 robberies; and in 2025, they decreased to 61,292 thefts and 10,207 robberies.
Despite a recent crackdown, with 248 arrests and around 770 stolen handsets recovered in just one month up to mid-February, the issue remains acute. The Met has deployed high-powered e-bikes and drones in operations to combat phone theft, yet challenges persist.
International Trade and Youth Recruitment
The international trade in stolen phones is a lucrative enterprise, worth millions, with devices stolen in London often fetching higher prices in countries like China due to fewer government restrictions. Alarmingly, reports indicate that British children as young as 14 are being recruited via social media platforms, such as Snapchat, to steal phones before school for payments of up to £400 each. Gangs operating in Algeria, China, and Hong Kong offer bonuses to the most prolific snatchers, exploiting vulnerable youth in this criminal network.
Police Performance and Ongoing Challenges
In a report for the London Policing Board, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley highlighted that the force remains 'an outlier' for the number of personal robberies and thefts from the person per thousand people compared to other regions in England and Wales. The resolution rates are concerningly low: only 6.9% of personal robbery cases and 0.9% of theft from the person cases resulted in a suspect being identified and dealt with in the year to December 2025.
In Westminster, the situation is particularly severe, with phones involved in 69% to 72% of thefts from the person and personal robberies each week. This underscores the urgent need for improved strategies and communication, as echoed by Minister Jones's personal account.
The minister concluded by stressing the unacceptability of the current state, saying, 'It's not acceptable that people will get their phone stolen, and there isn't a response that they would expect.' Her remarks highlight a critical gap in victim support and law enforcement effectiveness that demands immediate attention.
